CLAIM: The Court of Justice of the European Union is the supreme court for all Northern Ireland Protocol issues.
CONCLUSION: INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION. The Court of Justice of the European Union is the ultimate arbiter on certain Articles of the Protocol, and has an indirect role in interpreting EU laws as part of the agreed arbitration process. Continue reading Is the Court of Justice of the EU the supreme court for all Protocol issues?
CLAIM: The Northern Ireland Protocol requires certain aspects of EU law to apply in Northern Ireland but this can only happen if they are incorporated into Northern Ireland law.
CONCLUSION: INACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION. Certain aspects of EU law do still apply in Northern Ireland as a result of the Protocol, but these do not have to be incorporated into Northern Ireland law to have effect. Section 7A of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 makes those EU laws applicable in Northern Ireland. Any future legislative changes that may be necessary to implement the Protocol, or related EU laws, could be made at Westminster if Stormont refused to act. Incorporation into Northern Ireland law is therefore not a requirement. Continue reading Does the Northern Ireland protocol require certain aspects of EU law to apply in Northern Ireland and can this only happen if they are incorporated into Northern Ireland law?
CLAIM: The DOJ and NIO joint fund an £8 million a year Programme for Tackling Paramilitary Activity and Organised Crime that funds engagement directly with paramilitary organisations, such as the UVF, UFF, RHC, and UDA.
CONCLUSION: INACCURATE. The cross-department Executive Programme for Tackling Paramilitary Activity and Organised Crime receives funds from the Northern Ireland Executive, and is not jointly funded by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Northern Ireland Office (NIO). To date, there is no evidence of funds being provided for engagement directly with paramilitary organisations by the programme.
Continue reading Do the DOJ and NIO joint fund an £8 million a year programme to engage directly with paramilitary organisations?
A graphic about what actions have been made by the European Union and the UK, respectively, since negotiations for the UK to leave the EU began on 29 March 2017 has been shared at least 74,000 times on Facebook. The infographic makes twelve separate claims; FactCheckNI has fact checked each of them. We interpret “has” with reference to the date of action delivered, not announced. Continue reading Brexit box viral graphic fact check
CLAIM: Only the Irish language is banned in courts in Northern Ireland.
CONCLUSION: INACCURATE. English is the working language of court proceedings in Northern Ireland; interpretation and translation services are provided for those who do not speak or understand English. Whether this policy is informed by the Penal Laws is currently contested. Continue reading Is Irish the only language banned in Northern Ireland courts?
CLAIM: Over 29,000 incidents of domestic violence and abuse took place in Northern Ireland in 2017.
CONCLUSION: ACCURATE. Continue reading Were there over 29,000 cases of domestic violence and abuse in 2016-17?